>> it's not out of the question to get a storm like this in late march. but what is a little bit unusual is just widespread area of the country that it's actually impacting. >> reporter: in indianapolis, more slush and snow as this far-reaching storm continues to move eastward. >> nothing new. it happens almost every year. >> reporter: in the south today the quick-moving storm brought severe weather of a different kind wreaking havoc in the orlando area packing heavy thunderstorms and win gusts between 50 and 86 miles an hour. play was even suspended at the arnold palmer invitational due to mother nature's wrath as the course was deemed unsuitable. the pga says the final round will resume tomorrow. and heaven flooding forced many road closures in charleston, south carolina. this is the same weather system that dumped close to a foot of snow in the denver area on saturday causing this massive pile-up north of the city and canceling more than 100 flights. >> in some areas this winter storm has definitely outdone itself.

>> reporter: while some made the best of this spring storm, millions in the northeast prepare for conditions that could make for a very difficult monday commute. while this storm is a concern here, the worry in central florida is tornadoes after a touch-down near cape canaveral early today. that tornado did not cause any injuries, but it did bring down a roof and also took down several power lines. >> janel klein in a snowy st. louis for us tonight. thanks. we continue to track this big storm. turn now to weather channel meteorologist todd santos. todd, good evening to you. >> good evening, lester. it is really a long haul trucker of storms. tracking right along i-70 and a good stretch of this area dealing with decent snowfall totals. a number of areas you're dealing with rain to the south, snow to the north. st. louis anywhere between 6 and 10 inches worth of snow. i did want to mention we have had the severe weather threat today. it will be diminishing as we get into overnight hours.

there are a few areas still central portions of florida that could still see hail, maybe wind producing storms. maybe the isolated chance of a tornado in kentucky, eastern tennessee. also a chance for a few thunderstorms in that area. the snow side of things is taking over going into monday. here's a look at it. a lot of the energy starts to transition off along the coastline. d.c., philly, up towards new york, a number of areas will be fighting with very marginal conditions as far as temperatures are concerned to get some of these type of snowfall numbers. places like new york city, 47 degrees today for your daytime high. it will take a lot to get the snow to accumulate with the higher sun angle. a slushy one to maybe three inches in the daytime monday. evening hours may have a chance for light accumulation including areas through new england. lesterer? overseas secretary of state john kerry delivered a blunt message to the government of iraq today. it was all about what's happening with syria and iran. nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell is with the secretary in baghdad.

>> reporter: john kerry is the first secretary of state to come to iraq since hillary clinton in 2009. it's his first visit since he came as a senator at the height of the civil war in 2006. arriving today in secrecy, in the week when iraq saw some of its worst terrorist attacks in years to mark the tenth anniversary of the war. but kerry did not come primarily to discuss iraq. despite the smiles for the cameras, the secretary of state confronted iraq's prime minister maliki, accusing him of colluding with iran to prop up the assad regime by permitting almost daily weapons shipments from iran to syria through iraq's airspace. >> we had a very spirited discussion on the subject of the overflights. i made it very clear to the prime minister that the overflights from iran are in fact helping to sustain president assad. and his regime. >> reporter: iraq denies it but u.s. officials say there are far

too many flights. plus intelligence that iranian weapons and fighters are also moving overland through iraq to syria. it is called survival in a tough neighborhood. >> for maliki a rebel victory in syria he fears will empower his political opponents in iraq. >> reporter: nbc's richard engel who covered the war from beginning to end. >> iraq didn't become a stable u.s. friendly democracy. but a shiite led state with close ties to iran. still at war with itself. >> reporter: kerry warns prime minister that courting iran risks his partnership with the u.s. >> i also made it clear to him that there are members of congress and people in america who increasingly are watching what iraq is doing. >> reporter: kerry's tough warning to iraq's leader today. americans did not invest so much of their blood and treasure in iraq to have iraq now help iran prop up assad in syria. andrea mitchell, nbc news,

traveling with the secretary of state in baghdad. imagine for a moment that the u.s. government closed all the banks for more than a week, tried to impose a huge tax on large deposits and restricted how much cash you could withdraw from an atm. that's exactly what's going on tonight in cyprus. a member of the eurozone as it tries to raise enough money to qualify for a big bail-out from european lenders. cnbc's michelle caruso-cabrera has the latest tonight from cyprus. >> reporter: lester, all the banks on cyprus closed for nine days now. only the atms are working and just today they announced withdrawals would be limited to only 100 euros. but many of the machines don't have any money anyway. long lines all week at the atms of cyprus' weakest bank. customers desperate to get as much cash as possible in case the bank collapses. at supermarkets, families stocking up. fearing shelves will soon be empty with all the banks closed, businesses can't pay for supplies and restock.

buying so much, olga brought her two teenage sons to help. >> well, we are concerned that there will be shortages of food. so it is definitely we want to make sure. i have a family, i have to feed my family. >> reporter: tonight the president of cyprus in brussels headquarters of the european union begging for a bail-out for his country and its banks. no matter what, the country's once massive banking sector will shrink. thousands of bank employees took to the street this is weekend to protest. >> i'm going to lose everything. no job. no pension. no money. nothing. nothing. nothing. >> reporter: she and thousands of others at risk of losing their jobs. >> this negotiation has been especially difficult because the europeans are tired of bailouts. cyprus is the fifth country to ask for money. but if they don't get a deal their economy collapses. businesses can't pay suppliers or employees if the banks stay closed. when it happened in argentina in 2001, the people there were

reduced to bartering for food. lester? >> michelle caruso-cabrera tonight. back in this country the fight over guns heated up today with two of the most visible figures in that debate arguing their positions on morning television. nbc's kristin welker has more on that from the white house. >> reporter: with stiffer gun laws facing an uncertain future in congress, new york mayor michael bloomberg squared off against national rifle association's ceo wayne la pierre on "meet the press" today. >> i think i've spent $12 million on running ads. >> he can't buy america. >> tell didn't don't protect criminals. >> reporter: bloomberg announced a $12 million campaign aimed at convincing swing senators to support universal background checks. >> i've owned a gun all my life and i'll fight for my right to keep it. background checks have nothing

to do with taking guns away from anyone. >> reporter: bloomberg's strategy -- create a counterweight to the nra, harnessing the groundswell of support for tougher laws in the wake of the newtown tragedy. >> 90% of the public wants something and their representatives vote against that. common sense says they are going to have a price to pay for that. >> he he's going to find out this is a country of the people, by the people and for the people and he can't spend enough of his $27 billion to try to impose his will on the american public. >> reporter: la pierre argued background checks only create hurdles for law abiding citizens. >> is there any kind of background check you'd be willing to support or at least not oppose actively that could allow this to pass? >> we want to fix the existing system on retail sales because our people are the ones that are going through it and are getting delayed. it doesn't work. nobody gets prosecuted. it is completely ineffective. >> reporter: with most polls showing a majority of americans support tougher gun laws --

>> gun legislation -- >> reporter: last week senator minority leader harry reid dropped an assault weapons ban from the larger gun bill declaring it couldn't pass. >> there's a lot of wear rareness among members of congress and the nra. >> reporter: the debate is focused on this senate for now. advocates for tougher laws will stage two rallies here tomorrow. no matter what the senate winds up doing, gun control faces a much tougher challenge in the republican controlled house. >> kristin welker tonight, thank you. the supreme court turns its attention this week to an issue that's the subject of shifting public opinion -- same-sex marriage. there were rallies in support of it today in new york and other cities. nbc's justice correspondent pete williams is at the court for us tonight. pete, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening. this is the first time the supreme court has delved into the issue of same-sex marriage and is considering challenges to two laws -- the defense of marriage act that blocks the federal government from recognizing it, and prop 8, a voter initiative that stops same-sex marriage in california.

two gay couples in california are asking the court to strike down proposition 8 enacted by state voters in 2008 to prevent people like them from getting married. >> we're not out to redefine marriage or topple the institution. we are out to be a part of it. >> reporter: their lawyer says there's no valid reason to forbid their marriage because it would have no effect on straight couples. >> proponents of proposition 8 still haven't been able to come one with an argument as to why for all the good things about marriage we need to keep people out who want to get married. >> reporter: nine states now allow same-sex marriage along with washington, d.c. 38 others ban it by law or constitutional amendment. defenders of prop 8 say it is intended to protect the traditional notion of families. >> the institution of marriage and marriage laws are designed to attach mothers and fathers to each other and to the children that they may create and raise in the best environment. >> reporter: the other case presents a challenge to doma,

the defense of marriage act, passed by congress 17 years ago. it blocks federal recognition of same-sex couples in states where they are allowed to marry denying them 1,000 federal benefits that other married couples get. it's being challenged by 83-year-old edie windsor of new york when they are spouse died and left her the estate, she got a tax bill for $360,000. >> if the federal government recognized the marriage it would have been zero. >> reporter: president obama now says it is unconstitutional. >> the basic principle that america is founded on, the idea that we're all created equal, applies to everybody. regardless of sexual orientation. >> reporter: house republicans are now defending doma in court. >> the administration doesn't get to decide what's constitutional. the supreme court does. and our financing a lawsuit was

to make sure that the proper forum was used to make sure we know what's constitutional and what isn't. >> reporter: the court hears the doma case on wednesday. the prop 8 case on tuesday. and both of them come here as public support for same-sex marriage is growing. different political climate than just four years ago when prop 8 became law. lester? >> pete, thanks. at the vatican today, pope francis celebrated palm sunday mass before a crowd estimated at 250,000. he marked the start of holy week by encouraging people to be um balance and joyful and to lead simple lives. the pope from argentina announced he'll travel to neighboring brazil in july after the mass he climbed into a pope mobile to move among the crowd showing once again he enjoys connecting with the faithful. when "nbc nightly news" continues on this sunday -- making and watching tv in a whole new way. inside the netflix revolution. and later, the city that went from one of the fattest in america to one of the fittest.

the days of rushing home or planning your night around catching your favorite network tv shows are largely gone, thanks to the dvr, which of course allows people to watch whenever they want. but just as tv networks have adjusted to that viewing model, a company better known for renting and streaming movies is offering tv viewers a whole new way to enjoy first run shows. nbc's michelle franzen reports. >> reporter: "house of cards" is the new political drama produced by a new player in tv production. >> welcome to washington. >> reporter: the series was shot and produced by netflix, the company best known for on-demand streaming. the plot line is pure washington intrigue but the business behind the show is a power play all its own.

>> we know not only is it the kind of shows people are watching but the kind of shows people are devouring. >> reporter: tv industry analysts like josh wolk say netflix is turning the traditional model upside down. using research on its 33 million subscribers to shape the series, recruiting actors whose other work got lots of clicks on the website. and releasing 13 episodes all at once. >> i watched the whole series in about 1 1/2 weeks. >> i watched until 2:00 a.m. >> i'm going to go outside and pretend to use my cell phone. >> reporter: a calculated move that may propel this newest trend on tv. >> released on netflix which sounds unusual, but in some ways this is the way people view tv these days anyway. >> it is part of the argument for putting it out there the way that we are. >> reporter: the changes in viewing habits are also making it harder for ratings company nielsen to track. >> people used to rally around the televisions of family with

all their friends and now it's much more individual experience. >> reporter: now viewers rally around the time that is convenient for them to tune in and are watching more programs online. >> we need to follow that content and measure it no matter where it goes. that presents an opportunity in terms of helping our clients and it also presents a challenge in terms of getting it right. >> big step forward. we're going to make history. >> reporter: a challenge and game changer in hollywood and at home. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. when we come back -- there just has to be a good explanation for this. ♪

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the day after the drawings of that huge powerball jackpot there is a winner. we know the lone winning ticket was purchased somewhere in new jersey. so far no one has come forward to claim the ticket but tomorrow lottery officials plan to announce what location the ticket was sold. jackpot was $338 million. that would be a lump sum payout of $221 million.

five months after hurricane sandy, a beach front landmark is back in business. the amusement park at coney island here in new york reopened today on time after millions of dollars in repairs. the storm buried much of the park in sand and all the electrical systems had to be replaced. some 50,000 people live in the neighborhood that surrounds it and a community leader reminded us the recovery is still very much a work in progress. in one neighborhood in glendale, california, an unusual sight, to say the least. a car wound up on the roof of a house after the driver lost control last night. how did it happen? the man said the brakes gave out as he and his wife were pulling out of their steep driveway. the car then crossed a road, went through a yard and landed on a house below. remarkably no one was hurt. under the category of simply irresistible -- there is this tonight from alaska. an orphaned polar bear cub just three to four months old doing just fine at the zoo in anchorage. his name is coalie.

he weighs about 23 pounds. plan is to move him temporarily to the zoo in buffalo, new york. there, he'll have a friend. that zoo's own polar bear cub, luna. up next, the city that gives new meaning to the biggest loser.

finally tonight, a big loss to report in oklahoma city, one that city is taking great pride in. thanks to a public challenge by its mayor five years ago, oklahoma city may have finally shed an image that for too long has weighed it down. nbc's ron mott explains. >> reporter: these days, twin cops dave and don evans move as much as they used to sit around. burning calories more than storing them on dual 400-pound frames. >> biggest regret i have is that i spent 20 years being fat. i didn't have to. all i had to do was make a few simple changes. >> reporter: changes hitting close to home for the veteran oklahoma city police officers an nbc's "the biggest loser" alums. fans motivated the fans to act especially for their children. >> couldn't really do anything. couldn't take her to the park, couldn't go swimming, couldn't teach her how to ride a bike. >> reporter: together they

dropped more than 400 pounds, just two of about 50,000 success stories here in a city whose mayor mick cornett declared the town too fat for comfort and challenged the town to go on a diet. >> you're seeing generations of people who have had had poor health start to say we've got to end this, quit this, we've good to proactively take charge of our lives. >> reporter: more than a million pounds later, healthier menus and facilities abound. over the years, new ways to stay active have cropped up just about everywhere here. from those new gyms to wider sidewalks, to bike paths, to something they call the sky trail with impressive results. oklahoma city has literally moved from one of the fattest to one of the fittest cities in america. around the country, obesity is a growing public health emergency, especially for children. doubling in the past 30 years, tripling for adolescents. nowhere perhaps is the concern

greater than in mississippi. last again in america's health ranking. business owner linda has won a claim for shaking up her hometown of vicksburg, spearheading nutrition education, keeping kids active. >> when we come together, we make so much progress than just one person trying to do it alone. >> reporter: winning by losing in unison. ron mott, nbc news, oklahoma city. that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brian williams will be here tomorrow. i'm lester holt. i hope you'll join me shortly for "dateline." in the meantime, for all of us for "dateline." in the meantime, for all of us here at nbc news, goodnight. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com nbc bay area news starts now.

good evening. >> we're following developing news tonight where a man may have been swept out to sea. we're told the 22-year-old was playing football with friends at roosevelt beach. friends told the coast guard he disappeared after trying to catch a ball in the water. several county agencies are involved in the search right now and the coast guard has called in a helicopter as well. we're headed to the bay right now and we'll bring you the latest on the search as soon as we learn it. >> this afternoon, a father driving with his fall lid emilyp getting shot. it happened around 2:30. investigators say someone fired shots from a vehicle traveling west on the road. the gunman was apparently aiming at someone else. the father drive himself to the hospital. his wife and child were also in the car. >> and what it appears, the vict gunshot wound was

a family member, a dad, driving with his wife and child through the area to visit family and was probably the unintended target of a drive-by shooting. we did find some casings in the roadway that indicated they came out of a moving vehicle. >> the man's expected to survive. the wife and child were not injured. the gunman still on the loose tonight. >> a spiritual leader from india is in the bay area tonight, trying to gather support from bay area leaders for his campaign to end the violence plaguing america. we're at the san jose convention center with more. kimberly? >> reporter: diane, there are about a dozen local city and county leaders here, along with representative mike honda. those we talked to say they hope to learn something from the leader and believe in some of the ideas behind his message of creating tre ining stress free,